Method of and apparatus for distributing articles



Jan.. 7, 1930. E. o. HILLER ET AL 1,743,062

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS' FOR DISTRIBUTING ARTICLES Filed Sept. 9, 1926 2Sheets-Sheet l ooooo'ooo INVENTORS EVE/FETT o. H/L L EP .4%

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Jan- 7, 1930. E. o, HlLLx-:R ET AL I 1,743,062

METHOD OF' ANDAPPARATUS FORDISTRIBUTING ARTICLES Filed Sept; 9, 1926 2Sheets--Sheel 2 INVENTORS' 1 EVEREr-r o. H/'LLER vo into a lehr,

Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE IETVERIETTv O. HILLER,0F HARTFORD, AND

EDWARD H. LORENZ, OF WEST HARTFORD,

CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORSl TO HARTFORD-EMPIRE COMPANY,l OF HARTFORD, CON-NECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE Application led September 9, 1926.Serial No. 134,526.'

Our invention relates to a method and apparatus for distributingarticles. It is especially useful in charging small glassware withoutregularly setting up the bottles or other articles, but it is alsosuitable for employment in various other relations.

One object of our invention is to provide means for advancing anduniformly distributing articles that are delivered singly or in the formof a stream, this object being. aceomplished by depositing the articlesupon a table which is preferably inclined at an angle less than theangle of repose and which is vibrated to minimize frictional contactbetween the articles and the table suiciently to cause the articles toslide downwardly under the action of gravity to a delivery stationwhich, in the present instance, is the conveyor 7 of a lehr. Themovement of the conveyor is relatively slow compared to that of thearticles so that the articles collect adjacent to the bottom of thevibrating table to such an extent that thesucceeding articles deliveredto the table spread laterally through engagevide an improved andsimplified means and method for handling and transferring articles ofvarious kinds.

One means by which our invention may be practiced is shown in theaccompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of distributingmechanism; Fig. 2 is a side elevational'view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view, looking forwardly of the distributor'apron of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, partially in plan and partially in section,of a portion of the apparatus of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of theforward portion of tfhe apron and the supporting structure there- In thedrawings there is shown apparatus for receiving bottles from a buck orconveyor lehr belt 7. The plate -drives a sprocket 6, which deliversbottles from a shaping machinev or other source (not shown), anddistributing them upon a lehr conveyor be carried into a lehr (notshown). The apparatus includes a frame work 8 having vertically disposedperforated Csupports-9 to which flexible bars 10 may be 'adj ustablycon? nected by means of bolts'11, to vary the height at which the upperedge of an inclined apron or table 12 may be positionedfrelative to theconveyor 6. The bars 10 support the upper edge of the table and areflexible, so as to permit the table to be moved laterally by a mechanismwhich will be hereinafter described. The apron 12 may be made of sheetmaterial having low heat-conductivity, such as asbestos board or thelike, to reduce the chilling. of the bottles while they pass over theapron.v A

The loweror forward edge of the table 12 rests upon a bar 13, the endsof which are journaled in bearings 14 that are supported upon a conveyorframe 15, so that the lower. edge of the table will have pivotalmovement. in the bearings 14 when the rear edge of the table is vraisedor lowered. A washer or spacer 16 is interposed between the bar 13 andthe table and is secured to the table by rivets 17. A pivot bolt 18extends through the spacer 16 and into the bar 13 sothat the table willhave swivelling movement with respect to the bar 13 when the upper edgeof the table is vibrated laterally.

Angle bars 19 are secured to the edges of thetable, to prevent theglassware falling olf the table, and a plate 20 o sheet metal or ofnon-metallic sheet material, such as that composing the table, issecured to the forward edge of the table to serve as anslideway for thebottles as they pass from the table to the 20 may be bent so that itslower edge will have properly spaced relation to the conveyor 7. l

Reciprocation of the upper edge of the table is effected by an electricmotor 21 that chain 22, which has driving engagement' with a sprocketwheel 23. The sprocket wheel 23 has an eccentric hub portion 25 whichhas driving connectionwith .an eccentric yoke 27 that is turn connectedto P maiy be changed. l1

' slower movement o an eccentric rod 28, through the medium of a bracket32. The bracket 32 is bolted to the under side of the table 12, so thatas the motor 21 effects reciprocation of the eccentric rod 28, the upperedge of the table is reciprocated laterally, such movement beingpermitted by the flexible bars 10. The bearing for the shaft 24 whichsupports ,l the' sprocket 23 is vertically adjustable in an arcuatelyslotted bracket 33, so that when the .table is adjusted vertically, thuschanging the vertical position of the outer end of the rod 28, the shaft24 to which'the inner end of thev zo rod 28 is connected may becorrespondmgly ad'usted.

he table is preferably vvibrated at a high rate of vs eed, and thisspeed may be varied in any esired degree, to suit conditions.

i 95 Furthermore, the lengthh of stroke of the eccentric rod 28 may bevaried, as by employing eccentrics ofdifi'erent throws, or by c mloyingan eccentric whose effectlve radlu operation, the articles are deliveredfroml the buck or conveyor 6 to th'e table 12. This table is preferablydisposed at an an le within the angle of repose of the articles eliveredvthereto so that friction between the articles and the table willprevent them fromv sliding 1 downwardlythereon under the action ofgravity, if the table is at rest. The vibration of the table, however,breaks the frictlonal e a ment at ra idly recurrin intervals so tlllltggeravity willpcau the artgicles to slide down the table but at a slowerand more uniform rate `than would be the case if the table were disposedat an angle at which the -art1- cles would slide downwardly with anaccelerating velocity under the action of grav1ty alone.

This slow downward a -on the table 12,10 ether with the relatively fthelehr conveyor, causes -conveyor slightly lgreater than the thickness o fa bottle, so that two layers of bottles will be placed upon theconveyor. The lehr-'belt or the articles Vto collect or bank up ad'aeentto the lower edge of the table, with t e result that the `succeedingarticles are ,deflected lat-y erally in both .directions by themoreslowly v -composing the second layer would be depos- `it'ed u n thebottles already on. the-belt` be-v fore t e bottles first depositedhavebeen car l thev beltv an considerable, distance.

movin preceding articles, `formin a substantia ly we -sha t |stack on te table asisillustrate,in 1g.1l In the event that the conveyorremovesmore of the` articles from fone side ofv the table than from the other,the angle of the aide ofthe vstack of articles thereon will be-v f comemore vacute on sut-:hl ,side with the -result n'that thearticlesatthe`aPex 0f the Stack; as.

'well -as articles subsequently'delivered to the table, will follow the'linev of least resistance,

i and will slide'down the side of the stack toing the table about a tothe lower` edge thereo 1, as heretofore de-` travel of the articles wward lthexside of the table from which the i the table insures that theywill be delivered to the leh-r conveyor uniformly throughout the entirewidth thereof, thereby utilizing practically all of the available spacethereon and tending toward more uniform heat com ditions caused by theeven spacing of the articles during. their passage through the lehrtunnel.

It may be desirable under certain conditions to periodically interruptfrictional contact between the articles and the table by eithervibrating the table vertically or by reciprocating it bodily eitherlaterally or lontudinally. It is believed to be preferable,

owever, to effect such vibrationby oscillatpivot located adjacentscribed. The reasons for this preference are that ifthe table isvibrated vertically the 4artlcles are jolted against both the table andeach other; if the table is reciprocated bodily l1n a lateral directionthe articlesv intermittently collide with the side walls of the tableand, in addition, those at the lower end of the table slide against 4orscour those previously depos1ted on the lehr conve or; and if the Jtable is reciprocated longitu inally the articles on the table not onlycollidej with one another but those at the lower end thereof hammeragainst the articles previously deposited on the lehr conveyor, with theresulting possibility'Y of-marking or,otherwise in juring the ware.

' The disadvantages vabove mentioned are minimized by oscillating thetable about a pivot located "adjacent tothe lower edge thereof, asherein shown andk described, but it is not intended to limit theinvention in this re ect.

narily moves quite slowlyand the bottles ried b fromt e forward e ge ofthev apron. A small am litude of movement,

the articles to .move along the. table or slide at the proper-rate. v Y

This apparatus lmay also be employedfor perhaps i. I

vloo

e capacit of the belt can bestill further increased, ift e forward edgeof the slide or 1 v apron 20 is bent up a'distance above the lehrregularly setting up in of articles having consi a lehr certain classesderable width in roportion to their height, such as tumb ers and shortbottles.

`in mav be made without invention as set forth in the appen -What weclaim is:

Variations in the construction shown herefrom our depart-in ed claims.

1. The method of advancing a plurality of articles along a supportdisposed at an angle within the angle of repose of the articlesdelivered thereto, which compri the support to reduce the ment due tolongitudinally there preceding articles to said support. I

'2. Apparatus ses vibrating opposition to movefriction between thearticles and said support to permit the articles to move .y

of under the action of ovement of the foi distributing articles whichcomprises a planiform table disposed at an angle within the angle ofrepose of the` articles delivered thereto, In

ne to the upper end ing the articles one by o of the table, and meanstable to reduce the opp due to frictional contact and said t eans fordeliverfor oscillating said osition to movement between said articlesable to cause said articles tomove along said tableunder the action ofgravity and4 to distribute themselves laterally of the table.

3. Apparatus for which comprises an in of said table, l movement of saidarti of said table to cause said distributing. articles clined table,means for delivering a series of articles to the upper end and meanscles at the lower end artitcles to disfor retarding the tributethemselves transversely thereof.

4. Apparatus for distributing articles which comprises a table disposedat an angle within the angle of repose o livered thereto, means f thearticles defor vibrating said table to cause said articles to movetherealong lower end under the action of gravity, and means tarding themovement 'of said articles of saidtable to cause them to disfor reat thetribute themselves transversely of said table. a

l 5. Apparatus for which comprises a of repose of the ar distributingarticles table disposed at an angle.

ticles de livered thereto,

means for vibrating said table in a lateral direction to cause saidarticles of gravity, and means for retarding the movement of saidarticlesA along under the action at the lowerend of said to move therevtable to cause them to distribute themselves transversely of said table.

6. Apparatus .for distributing articles which comprises a table disposedat an angle within the angle ofv repose of the articles deliveredthereto, means vfor oscillating said table about a' point-'of's'upporttoreduce the opposition :to movement due to frictional contactlbetweensaid articles and 'said table movement tional contact between thearticles .and said support to cause the articles to move therealongunder the action of'gravity and-to distribute themselves laterally overthe' table. 8. In combination with a buck or conveyor and a lehr, atable mounted intermediate thereof for transferring articles ofglassware from the former to the latter, and disposed at an angle withinthe angle of repose of the articles delivered ther ing said ,table toreduce the opposition to 4 p due to friction between are articles andsaid table to cause said articles to advance at a uniform ratetherealong, and means for retarding the rate of movement of thepreceding articles to cause the succeeding articles to distributelaterally of said table through engagement therewith.

9. Apparatus for distributing articles, comprising an inclined table, aiexible supl port secured to the upper edge of the table, a`substantially vertically disposed pivotal support for the lower edge ofsaid table, and means for effecting lateral vibration of said upperedge.

sing aplaniform table disposed at eto, means for vibrat- 10. Apparatusfor distributing articles, I

comprising an inclined table for receiving the articles at a singlepoint at its upper edge, distributing the articles laterally andcharging them 'at its lower` edge, means for effecting lateral movementof the lupper portion'of said table, and means for supporting the lowerportion of the table upon a pivot perpendicularly` disposed relative tothe table.

11.. Apparatus for distributing articles, l comprising an inclined tablefor receiving the articles at itskupper edge and discharging them at itslower edge, means for -eifect- `ing lateral movement of the table at itsupper edge, means for effecting vertical adjustment of said upper edge,and means for supportin the lower edge of the table for pivota movementsin vertical and horizontal planes. Y

12. The method of stacking glass articlesv disiusy

within av lehr which comprises placingthe l advance the articles to thelower end of Vsaid support and onto and across the lehr.

13. In combinatlon, a. buck for conveying a series of glass articles oneby one to a receiving statlon, a lehr, a conveyor within said lehr, andmeans. for transferring glassware from said buck to the said lehr, saidmeans comprising a planiform sup ort of greaterV width than the buckplaced) between said buck and saidlehr and disposed at an angle lessthan the angle of repose of glassware to be transferred and means forosclllating said support to cause the said glassware to move from thereceiving station laterall of the support land toward and onto the ehrconveyor under the iniuence of gravi p Signed at Hartford, Connecticut,this 8th day'of September, 1926. 1

EVERETT o. HILLER.` EDWARD H. LORENZ.

